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Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

EQT Private Equity buys Exolaunch, backing rapid growth in rideshare mission management for SpaceX

EQT Private Equity (Sweden) is purchasing Germany-based Exolaunch in a transaction dealroom.co estimates at $339 million, with value not disclosed. Exolaunch—described as a SpaceX satellite launch partner and rideshare mission manager—expects a 250% revenue increase this year.

2026-06-18T09:20:38.853943-07:00

Reuters

Space startups seek insurance coverage for orbital AI data centers

2026-06-18T09:20:37.220419-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Boeing advances space-based quantum networking with Q4S ground-tested entanglement swapping on a compact payload

2026-06-18T05:48:10.934304-07:00

European Spaceflight

CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility

2026-06-18T04:21:45.050880-07:00

News Timeline

Bloomberg

SpaceX bond offering talks: bankers preparing calls on potential $20B+ issuance after record IPO Bankers for SpaceX are set to speak with investors as soon as next week about a potential bond offering of at least $20 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The plan follows the company’s record-scale IPO and signals a continued push to secure large-scale public-market funding.

2026-06-18T09:50:27.617610-07:00

SpaceX bond offering talks: bankers preparing calls on potential $20B+ issuance after record IPO

Space Intel Report

EQT Private Equity buys Exolaunch, backing rapid growth in rideshare mission management for SpaceX EQT Private Equity (Sweden) is purchasing Germany-based Exolaunch in a transaction dealroom.co estimates at $339 million, with value not disclosed. Exolaunch—described as a SpaceX satellite launch partner and rideshare mission manager—expects a 250% revenue increase this year.

2026-06-18T09:20:38.853943-07:00

EQT Private Equity buys Exolaunch, backing rapid growth in rideshare mission management for SpaceX

Reuters

Space startups seek insurance coverage for orbital AI data centers Space startups have begun discussions with insurers about coverage for orbital AI data centers, signaling early market movement from concept to deployable, risk-underwritten infrastructure. The outreach aligns with broader momentum behind on-orbit compute plans backed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

2026-06-18T09:20:37.220419-07:00

Space startups seek insurance coverage for orbital AI data centers

SpaceNews.com

Spark Space tests engine for electric-pump-fed rocket and raises multi-round funding in drive for scale Chinese startup Spark Space says it has completed engine testing for an electric-pump-fed rocket it claims could be the largest of its kind. The company has also secured a series of funding rounds, positioning the effort to advance from propulsion validation to full development and scale-up.

2026-06-18T07:49:30.120457-07:00

Spark Space tests engine for electric-pump-fed rocket and raises multi-round funding in drive for scale

SpaceNews.com

FCC authorizes 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites as “orbital data center” filings accelerate—Starcloud 88,000 and SpaceX 1 million In January 2026, the FCC authorized 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites. Starcloud has filed for an 88,000-satellite orbital “data center” concept, while SpaceX has filed for 1 million satellites—fueling a servicing-economy debate around on-orbit maintenance, logistics and long-duration operations.

2026-06-18T06:19:27.978596-07:00

FCC authorizes 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites as “orbital data center” filings accelerate—Starcloud 88,000 and SpaceX 1 million

Payload

True Anomaly completes Mission X-3 test objectives, clearing final steps toward full spacecraft commissioning True Anomaly said its Jackal spacecraft has completed all Mission X-3 test objectives, meeting the remaining requirements to move the system to full commissioning. The milestone follows earlier development and Space Force-aligned work as the company ramps its space-security product efforts.

2026-06-18T06:02:59.829530-07:00

True Anomaly completes Mission X-3 test objectives, clearing final steps toward full spacecraft commissioning

SpaceNews.com

Boeing advances space-based quantum networking with Q4S ground-tested entanglement swapping on a compact payload Boeing says its Q4S quantum networking satellite system successfully demonstrated high-fidelity entanglement swapping in ground testing on a compact, space-qualified payload. The company also conducted ground verification of a key quantum networking protocol in a payload set targeted for an on-orbit experiment in 2027.

2026-06-18T05:48:10.934304-07:00

Boeing advances space-based quantum networking with Q4S ground-tested entanglement swapping on a compact payload

SpaceNews.com

Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus to launch Katalyst LINK intercept for NASA Swift Observatory re-entry rescue Northrop Grumman will fly a June, time-critical mission to prevent NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from making an uncontrolled re-entry. The plan uses Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft to intercept Swift in a decaying orbit and boost it to a higher altitude from a 1970s-era jumbo-jet launch.

2026-06-18T05:17:07.837992-07:00

Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus to launch Katalyst LINK intercept for NASA Swift Observatory re-entry rescue

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Commercial Space News

EQT Private Equity buys Exolaunch, backing rapid growth in rideshare mission management for SpaceX

Space startups seek insurance coverage for orbital AI data centers

Boeing advances space-based quantum networking with Q4S ground-tested entanglement swapping on a compact payload

CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility

News Timeline